Chapter 463: Just Follow My Instructions!
Night fell, and the city lights began to glow!
After chatting idly all afternoon, seeing that it was almost time for dinner, Li Yi suggested taking everyone out to eat.
But both Huang Lixing and Wang Anguo said they weren’t very hungry and suggested they could just make some simple congee at home.
Li Yi knew they didn’t want him to spend money on them; after all, with such a large group, even a casual meal out would cost quite a bit.
If they were to eat something nice, it might even cost several dozen or even a hundred yuan.
Although they knew Li Yi wasn’t short on money, they still didn’t want to put him out.
Li Yi told everyone straight out that he planned to take them to his family’s restaurant for dinner.
Hearing this, everyone immediately perked up; they were all eager to see Li Yi’s properties in the capital.
So, the group quickly got ready, left the house, and headed straight for Beiguan Village.
When the convoy arrived at the hot pot restaurant, it was just before 7:30—the busiest time of the day.
When Huang Lixing and the others walked inside, they were quite surprised to see that eighty percent of the tables were occupied.
Huang Lixing was particularly astonished; he remembered that just last year, Li Yi had been an ordinary man selling mushrooms from a horse-drawn cart.
It had only been a few months since they’d last seen him, and yet this young man had actually opened such a large restaurant in a place like the capital.
Setting aside the quality of the food for the moment, the place was certainly doing brisk business.
Over at the counter, Long Zhanjun was busy ringing up a customer and hadn’t noticed Li Yi and his group.
But Li Na, standing nearby, did spot them. She recognized everyone—Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and the others, as well as Huang Lixing and his wife—and immediately came over to greet them.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Yi asked right away, “Sis, do you have any larger private rooms available?”
“There’s one left. Private Room No. 6 has just been cleaned up, and it’ll fit you perfectly!”
“Alright, I’ll take everyone there. Have Dongzi and the others get the food ready right away!” Li Yi said.
“Got it!”
The group made their way to Private Room No. 6, where they took their seats according to their roles as hosts and guests!
“Brother Li Yi, business at your place looks pretty good!” Huang Lixing remarked with a hint of admiration.
“Haha, just a small operation—nothing to write home about!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Brother Li Yi, you’re being too modest. There aren’t many restaurants this popular, even in Hong Kong!”
Huang Lixing then added, “Would you be interested in letting me invest? We could expand this restaurant nationwide.”
Hearing this, everyone in the room turned to look at Li Yi; they all thought Huang Lixing’s idea was a good one.
Judging by what they’d just witnessed, if every branch were this popular, it would be nearly impossible not to turn a profit.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Li Yi merely smiled and then decisively turned down Huang Lixing’s proposal.
“Old Huang, let’s just forget about this. If you’re really looking to partner up, I’ve got a better business opportunity coming up—we can talk about that!”
Li Yi was indeed interested in partnering with Old Huang, but certainly not in the restaurant business.
Although the barbecue and hot pot restaurant was doing well, it was difficult to expand on a large scale in the current market environment.
Setting aside staffing issues, the bigger problem was that most agricultural products now required ration coupons—especially grain and meat.
Under these circumstances, it was difficult enough to maintain a single shop, let alone a chain of stores.
Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up the moment he heard Li Yi’s words, and he immediately replied, “Alright, let’s have a good chat tonight!”
“Alright…”
Just as they were speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and Dongzi walked in carrying a large charcoal brazier balanced on an iron rod.
After setting the brazier down, he quickly brought in a large copper pot.
He then began serving dishes into the private room: sliced lamb, beef rolls, beef tenderloin, pork belly…
This combination of grilling and hot pot was a first for many, and they all found it quite novel.
Before long, everyone was won over by the experience of tucking into the meat…
………
By the time they finished eating, it was already 9:00 p.m. Since Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and the others had to return early the next morning, Li Yi, at their request, arranged for the group to stay at the cotton mill’s guesthouse!
After settling Wang Anguo and the others in, Li Yi took Huang Lixing back to his own courtyard house.
Back home, Jiang Xue and Chen Chuhong each tended to their own little ones, while Li Yi invited Huang Lixing into his study.
After sitting down across a small round table, Li Yi poured Huang Lixing a cup of tea and asked, “Old Huang, have you resolved those troubles over in Hong Kong yet?”
Huang Lixing knew Li Yi was referring to his recent failed attempt to retire from the underworld. After a brief pause, he replied, “It’s basically settled!”
Huang Lixing then explained, “I took your advice, brother. Instead of going head-to-head with them, I went back to the organization. Since they saw I wasn’t insisting on leaving, they stopped giving me a hard time!”
“So what are your plans for the future?” Li Yi asked again.
Huang Lixing shook his head and said, “I haven’t figured that out yet, but I definitely don’t want to get mixed up with the gang anymore. What goes around comes around!”
“I don’t mind getting hacked to death myself, but I can’t drag Ah Hong and Ah Min down with me!”
Li Yi nodded. “I understand where you’re coming from, but that’s just how the underworld works. It’s not something you can just walk in and out of whenever you please—it’s completely beyond your control!”
“Then what should I do? I’ve lost the ambition I once had. Forcing myself to keep going won’t necessarily lead to a good outcome!” Huang Lixing said in a low voice.
“Hmm, I understand. But your idea of ‘washing your hands of it’ isn’t feasible. If you truly don’t want to stay in Hong Kong doing those shady deals, I can help you withdraw gracefully!” Li Yi said.
“Really?” Huang Lixing asked excitedly.
“Remember what I told you last year? As long as you handle the school donation properly, I’ll give you a golden opportunity!” Li Yi said.
“Of course I remember. It’s just that this isn’t going to be easy to pull off. Old Wu and Fat Qiang aren’t going to let me walk away that easily!” Huang Lixing said, frowning.
“Don’t worry about that. Just follow my instructions!” Li Yi said.
“So what do I need to do?”
“Once you get back from Beijing, set aside some money, and then wait for me to handle it!” Li Yi said.
“How much will it take?”
“The more, the better!”
“Alright!”
Huang Lixing then asked again, “So, Brother Li Yi, when are you planning to go to Hong Kong?”
“Probably after mid-July. After all, Xiao Xue has her college entrance exams in early July, so I can’t be away for long before then!” Li Yi said.
Huang Lixing thought for a moment. It was already mid-May, which meant there were less than two months left!
“Alright, then. Once I get back, dxmbang will start making preparations for this!”
“Alright!”
After that, the two discussed some specific details, and by around 10:30 p.m., they finally wrapped up their conversation.
Although Huang Lixing still wasn’t entirely clear on exactly how Li Yi planned to help him or what kind of business they intended to collaborate on, knowing that Li Yi was going to Hong Kong personally to help him resolve the triad-related matters put his mind at ease!
………..